Garde champêtre

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A garde champêtre (French: lit. rural guard) is the combination of a forest ranger, game warden and code enforcement officer in certain rural communes in France.

Organization

Their job is to report to the local mayor. Many of these officers carry firearms (they commonly face poachers, many of whom are themselves armed) and other weapons. Mayors decide which weapons to provide them with, but gardes champêtres can purchase, retain and carry a much wider range of weapons than the urban police (police municipale) are allowed. They are not under the supervision of the Gendarmerie but under the mayor's, their employer.

History and future development

From 1791 to 1958 it was compulsory for each rural commune to employ a garde champêtre. Since then many formerly rural communes are heavily or totally urbanised and the number in post has been shrinking every year. A draft law in 2014,^[1] provided for the integration of the remaining gardes champêtres with the police municipale and the highway control officers (agents de surveillance de la voie publique) into a new police territoriale.

Uniforms and rank insignia

Their uniforms are not regulated and are at the mayor's discretion; they are traditionally green. The only compulsory element of their dress is a metal badge or cloth patch bearing the words: "LA LOI" (the law), the name of the commune and that of the garde champêtre.^[2] They cannot legally wear the dress attributed to the police municipale (navy blue with a light blue trimming).

Police ranks of French Rural Police^[3]
Insignia (2017-Present)^[4]
Rank (2017-Present)	Garde champêtre chef principal	Garde champêtre chef
English	Senior Chief Rural Warden	Chief Rural Warden
Insignia (2012-2017)
Rank (2012-2017)	Garde champêtre chef principal	Garde champêtre chef	Garde champêtre principal titulaire	Garde champêtre principal stagiaire
English	Senior Chief Rural Warden	Chief Rural Warden	Rural Warden	Trainee Rural Warden
Insignia (-2012)
Rank (-2012)	Garde champêtre chef principal	Garde champêtre chef	Garde champêtre principal	Garde champêtre stagiaire
English	Senior Chief Rural Warden	Chief Rural Warden	Rural Warden	Trainee Rural Warden

References

^ "Dossiers législatifs - Proposition de loi visant à créer des polices territoriales et portant dispositions diverses relatives à leur organisation et leur fonctionnement". Legifrance (in French). Retrieved 2016-03-15.
^ "Code de la sécurité intérieure - Article R522-1". Legifrance (in French). Retrieved 2016-03-15.
^ "Décret n°94-731 du 24 août 1994 portant statut particulier du cadre d'emplois des gardes champêtres. Version en vigueur au 02 avril 2021." Legifrance. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
^ Grades des policiers municipaux et cadre d’emploi. Retrieved 2021-04-02.